Archive for the ‘Radios’ Category
CB’s help pass the time of day…
Did you ever ever go out fishing and felt that you should rename the lake you were fishing in the “dead sea”?? I sure have. During those slow fishing times when you even get excited when you catch bottom or a weed, it’s really nice to have a CB radio with (a hand held CB Radio really works nice) and get on line to talk to your other fishin’ buddies or to family back at the cabin. What do you talk about??? Well the important stuff comes to my mind – what’s for dinner and stuff like that! It can really be fun and certainly passes the time of day – and who knows – when you least expect it, you may tie into the lunker you went out for!! Enjoy! Happy Boater.
Make your weekend an “event”…
Now, obviously I’m not talking about the new TV series with the same name. I am talking about the great experience you and your guests can have when you turn on the tunes in your back yard, or on your boat! This past weekend we had the most wonderful weather you could ever want for this time of the yearon the north shore of Lake Superior! We had warm temperatures as well as a strong breeze to keep the flies away and keep us cool. What a great time to sit back, turn on the tunes with your Marine Radio Receiver, and enjoy the great out-of-doors!! You are no longer limited to listening to what a DJ decides to play over the airwaves – you can simply plug in your MP3 memory stick or your I-Pod pre-recorded music and listen away!! Yesterday I actually went out on the lake in a very small paddle boat and just drifted in the wind for a long while. Although it was impossible on that small craft, I did think how nice it would have been to simply have some nice music playing as I drifted along. Enjoy your week! Happy Boater.
Sometimes it’s best to stay home…
This past few days we’ve really had a lot of wind making it just about impossible to get out on the water with a small craft. That’s when you tune in channel 16 on your VHF Marine Radio, or tune in to the NOAA weather channel on your marine radio, listen to what they are saying as it is broadcast 24/7 for your safety, then decide whether or not it is safe to venture out into the water with a small craft. There is really no sense to “push the envelope” when dealing with a real wind, real waves, and a really unsafe situation. Consider it a great time to tie more lures or simply catch up on that “honey do” list we all have. Enjoy your day. Happy Boater.
Stay in Touch – be a CB Buddy…
This time of the year, a lot of folks come up to northern Minnesota for a drive up the North Shore of Lake Superior to enjoy it’s breathtaking scenery and wonderfully cool climate along the lake shore. When traveling with friends in separate vehicles, what a great convenience it is to be able to communicate with each other while traveling. You know – questions like “did you see that beautiful spot on the right?”, or “where should we stop and eat?” To have this type of convenience on board your vehicles, is really an inexpensive investment! A Hand Held CB Radio would work great for this application. CB Radios have come and gone in their popularity over the years, but they are becoming a very popular item once again. Get on board with technology when planning your next vacation!! Have a great time. Happy Boater.
Sound doesn’t get better – just the equipment does!!
I recall driving down the road in cars that didn’t even have an FM band available on the radio!! The only thing available was the old AM radio band. Unless you were within 50 miles of the broadcasting station you could just about forget it. Bringing back any memories for any of you?? Then there were the earth shaking inventions that hit the market – seemingly all in a bunch!! There was the 8-Track tape player, then some car radios came with an 8-track built in. Along with these you could wire in a “reverberator” into your car’s sound system which gave the sound kind of a hollow sound. The Cassette tapes followed that. Then the FM Converter allowed folks without an FM radio to hear FM music stations by plugging them into your cassette player slot. CD’s naturally followed this and this opened up the “digital” field. Now everything is digital which has improved sound quality immensely!! I know I dated myself by even writing this, but who cares!! I think it’s fun to remember all these things and to know that I lived through the transition of it all. My grandson came to our house and I was converting a lot of my old LP records into digital on my computer so I could download them to an MP3 or WAV format for listening. When he saw the LP record, he gasped that he had never seen such a big CD in his life!! haha!! …the world goes on….. Anyway I ended up with my music recorded into a digital format and am now able to take my music with me when out on the water and play it through my marine radio receiver which plays through my waterproof marine speakers on board. Great Sound!! Happy Boater.
Back Yard Symphony…
Just about annually my wife comes up with these “remodeling” ideas for our property. I’m quite sure that none of you ever have experienced this! haha!!! Sometimes the remodeling involves moving a wall, window, or door – or sometimes it is landscaping in the back yard! Now, this can be fun! There are waterproof marine speakers available now that can produce a very high quality sound when used as the output speakers through a stereo player or by simply using MP3 or I-Pod pre-recorded music. Why not make the most of your remodeling project and wire your outdoor back yard project with sound?? You are only limited to your imagination because the quality speakers do the rest for you! A nice addition to this sound system would be a marine radio receiver to power this system. Aren’t wives wonderful!! Happy Boater.
A Bit of Comfort in Nasty Weather…
We’ve all been there………..you set out for a day on the water in bright sunshine and calm seas. Before lunch the waves start rolling and the clouds start filling the sky. Before you know it, you are in the middle of a lot of waves that are all capping and the wind has come up and all-in-all you are not in a very nice situation! About that time, you would be glad you had a VHF Marine Radio on board which would allow you to tune in to any late breaking transmissions from the US Coast Guard (which is broadcast 24/7) on Channel 16 or simply being able to tune into a NOAA weather channel for the latest update on the weather. Either way, you can gain that “comfort level” knowing that you have the latest information and you will be able to plan your day accordingly – even if that planning means pulling up fishing lines and making a beeline for shore to be safe. Happy Boater.
CB Radios add fun to the gathering!
I can remember when CB Radios were a real fad in the early 60’s. Everyone had them and spent time at night just trying to think up a cute and catchy name (or handle) for their personal use as an identifier for them when on the air. I happened to have owned an ice cream parlor at the time and so I selected the handle “soda jerk” which was what the person behind the ice cream fountain was called. At that time I never got into the CB part of it too much – mainly everyone just rode around and listened to everyone else talk on the radios! It was fun – at least we thought it was fun at the time!! Now days, CB Radios have come back into focus and are widely used by truckers, boaters, school districts, and on construction sites. They even have been used now on search and rescue missions. Since CB’s are so inexpensive now, a lot of folks have a set available as an item of “fun entertainment” for the youngsters at family gatherings! I watched my young nieces play with them a couple of weeks ago and was amazed just how much enjoyment they had by running around the building or around the yard and then talking to the other person via a hand held CB Radio. Sure is nice we have so many great things available to us! Happy Boater.
Hand Held VHF Radios come in “handy”.
With the newest style of hand held VHF marine radios available, they are so compact that they can be stowed away until they are needed (that is – IF they’re needed). We all hope when we have made the investment (which is really very reasonable) in a VHF Marine Radio that we never have need of using it to call for help when out on the water. But what a sense of security it offers the boat owner if the need arose call the Coast Guard for help and know that they will be monitoring their end of the radio 24/7 if you need them!! A lot of folks put 2 VHF marine radios on board – one is a fixed unit for daily use and the other a hand held unit which is stowed in the “emergency bag” to take with in the event that a person had to transfer to a life raft. Most of these hand held VHF marine radios are not only waterproof to about a meter, but they float as well – a real handy thing to have on board!! Happy Boater.
VHF – a likely lifeline…
I know its still August as I write this, but in just a couple months we will have November staring us in the face again. With that realization, it isn’t a far fetched reach to realize that November can bring with it some nasty storms on the lakes – at least around the area I am familiar with around Lake Superior in northern Minnesota. Having a VHF Marine Radio on board gives you access to broadcasts sent out 24/7 by the US Coast Guard – advising boaters of incoming storm systems as well as other things that may hamper your great day on the water. Some of those broadcasts may be the one thing that may give you just enough time to get off the lake to a safe harbor before the waves became too treacherous. VHF Marine Radios are really not that expensive and are available even as a hand held VHF marine radio style. Many of the hand held units are waterproof to a minimum depth and float as well if dropped into the deep blue. Take a minute and consider how little money it really takes to be safe! Happy Boater.